Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 9:4
For thou hast maintained my right and my cause; thou satest in the throne judging right.
4. In the defeat of his enemies he sees God’s judicial intervention on his behalf. God has pronounced and executed sentence in his favour. Cp. Psa 7:8-9.
thou satest &c.] Better, thou didst take thy seat on the throne, judging righteously. The throne is that of judgement ( Psa 9:7; Pro 20:8). God has assumed this judicial character, in answer to the Psalmist’s prayer in Psa 7:7.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
For thou hast maintained my right and my cause – My righteous cause; that is, when he was unequally attacked. When his enemies came upon him in an unprovoked and cruel manner, God had interposed and had defended his cause. This shows that the psalmist refers to something that had occurred in the past; also that he regarded his cause as right – for the interposition of God in his behalf had confirmed him in this belief.
Thou satest in the throne judging right – As if he had been seated on a bench of justice, and bad decided on the merits of his cause before he interfered in his behalf. It was not the result of impulse, folly, partiality, or favoritism; it was because he had, as a judge, considered the matter, and had decided that the right was with the author of the psalm, and not with his enemies. As the result of that determination of the case, he had interposed to vindicate him, and to overthrow his adversaries. Compare Psa 8:3-8.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Psa 9:4
Thou hast maintained my right.
Thou satest in the throne judging right.
Mans right, and Gods right
The first part of the fourth verse seems to be merely personal, but the second clause of the verse is universal. In the first clause we may put so much emphasis upon the personal pronoun as to make this a merely individual instance, as if God had specialised one man as against many men, without inquiring into the merits of the ease. The second clause reads, Thou sittest in the throne judging right. That is the universal tone. Not–God sitting in the throne selecting favourites, distributing prizes and rewards according to some arbitrary law, but God sitting in the throne judging right, whoever was upon one side or the other in the controversy. The whole encounter is delivered from the narrow limitation of personal misunderstanding and individual conduct, and is made one of rectitude, and God is indicated as taking part with the right. This is comfort; this, in fact, is the only true and lasting solace. If there were anything narrow, in the merely personal sense, in the government and providence of God, we should be thrown into unrest and faithlessness, or the most humiliating fear; but make the providence of God turn upon right, and then every man who does right, or who wishes to be right and to do right, may lift up his eyes to heaven and say: My help cometh front the everlasting hills; I will bear all difficulties bravely, with a really manful and sweet patience, because in the end right will be vindicated and crowned. Right is not with any set of persons, right is not a possession guaranteed to any one kind of office in the Church: it is a universal term; it rises like a universal altar, within whose shadow poor men and needy men, as well as rich and mighty men, may be gathered in the security of prayer, and in the gladness of assured hope. (Joseph Parker, D. D.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
My right and my cause, i.e. my righteous cause against thine and mine enemies.
Thou satest in the throne; thou didst judge and give sentence for me.
Judging right, or, O righteous Judge, or, as a just judge.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
For thou hast maintained my right and my cause,…. Or vindicated and established his righteous cause; God had pleaded and defended it, and by the flight, fall, and ruin of his enemies, had clearly made it appear that his cause was just and good;
thou sittest in the throne judging right; God has not only a throne of grace on which he sits, and from whence he distributes grace and mercy to his people, but he has a throne of judgment, and which is prepared for it, as in Ps 9:7; where he sits as the Judge of all the earth, and will do right; nor can he do otherwise, though his judgments are not always manifest in the present state of things; and the vindication of the psalmist’s innocence and uprightness is another reason of his joy and gladness.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The Psalmist proceeds a step farther in the 4 verse, declaring that God stretched forth his hand to give him succor, because he was unrighteously afflicted by his enemies. And surely if we desire to be favored with the assistance of God, we ought to see to it that we fight under his standard. David, therefore, calls him a judge of righteousness, or, which is the same thing, a righteous judge; as if he had said, God has acted towards me according to his ordinary manner and constant principle of acting, for it is his usual way to undertake the defense of good causes. I am more inclined to render the words, Thou sittest a just judge, than to render them, O just judge, thou sittest, (168) because the form of expression, according to the first reading, is more emphatic. The import of it is this: God at length has assumed the character of judge, and is gone up into his judgment-seat to execute the office of judge. On this account he glories in having law and right on his side, and declares that God was the maintainer of his right and cause. What follows in the next verse, Thou hast destroyed [or discomfited, ] the wicked, belongs also to the same subject. When he beholds his enemies overthrown, he does not rejoice in their destruction, considered simply in itself; but in condemning them on account of their unrighteousness, he says that they have received the punishment which they deserved. Under the name of nations he means, that it was not a small number of ungodly persons who were destroyed, but great armies, yea, even all who had risen up against him from different quarters. And the goodness of God shines forth the brighter in this, that, on account of the favor which he bare to one of his servants, he spared not even whole nations. When he says, Thou hast blotted out their name for ever, it may be understood as meaning, that they were destroyed without any hope of ever being able to rise again, and devoted to everlasting shame. We could not otherwise discern how God buries the name of the ungodly with themselves, did we not hear him declare that the memory of the righteous shall be for ever blessed, (Pro 10:7.)
(168) “ J’ay mieux aime traduire, Tu t’es assis juste juge; que, O juste juge tu t’es assis.” — Fr.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(4) Thou hast maintained my right.Literally, thou hast made my judgment, as the LXX. and Vulg. For this confidence in the supreme arbiter of events compare Shakespeare:
Is this your Christian counsel? Out upon you!
Heaven is above all yet. There sits a Judge
That no king can corrupt.Henry VIII.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
Were ever words plainer than these, to teach us that it is Jesus thus addressing the Father, acknowledging the Father’s fulfillment of all covenant engagements, in supporting the manhood of Christ in all the seasons of his encountering with his enemies? And, Reader, may not all the people of Jesus in their deliverances, and from their victories in him, look up and bless God for the same mercy?
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Psa 9:4 For thou hast maintained my right and my cause; thou satest in the throne judging right.
Ver. 4. For thou hast maintained my right ] Heb. Thou hast done me judgment. Locus hic insignis est, saith Polanus. This is an excellent place, and maketh much to the comfort of God’s poor people that are oppressed by the world; the righteous Judge will not fail to right them. See Luk 18:7-8 .
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
satest = hast sat.
right = righteously.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
For: Psa 16:5, Psa 140:12
maintained: etc. Heb. made my judgment
right: Heb. in righteousness, Psa 45:6, Psa 45:7, Psa 47:8, Psa 89:14, Psa 96:13, Psa 98:9, Isa 11:4, 1Pe 2:23
Reciprocal: 1Sa 17:10 – give me 2Sa 18:19 – avenged him 1Ki 8:45 – cause 2Ch 6:35 – cause Psa 119:43 – for I have Lam 3:59 – judge Rom 2:2 – judgment
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Psa 9:4-5. My right and my cause That is, my righteous cause against thy and my enemies. Thou sattest in the throne, &c. Thou didst judge and give sentence for me. Thou hast rebuked That is, punished or destroyed, as it is explained in the next clause; the heathen Namely, the Philistines and other heathen nations who, from time to time, molested David and the people of Israel. Thou hast put out their name for ever Meaning either that fame and honour which they had gained by their former exploits, but had now utterly lost by their shameful defeats; or their very memorial, as it fared with Amalek.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
9:4 For {b} thou hast maintained my right and my cause; thou satest in the throne judging right.
(b) However the enemy seems for a time to prevail yet God preserves the just.